The present invention relates to feeding blister packs to an automatic packaging machine.
More precisely, the invention relates to a device for transferring blister packs from the cutting station of a so-called blistering machine to the feeding line of the packaging line.
As it is known, blister packs are obtained by cutting a band, which has a plurality of blisters, suitably arranged, filled with respective products.
At each step of the blister band forward movement in the cutting station of the blistering machine, a series of blister packs are usually obtained from the blister band, which blister pack are aligned along a direction crosswise to the band longitudinal axis.
Then, the series of blister packs must be transferred to the feeding line of the packaging machine, which introduces the blister packs in suitable boxes.
According to traditional solutions, the feeding line of the packaging machine is disposed in longitudinal alignment with the outlet line of the blistering machine.
This solution can cause problems due to the resulting overall dimensions of the machine.
According to other solutions, the positioning of the packaging machine is rigid, as it is imposed by the disposition of the line connecting the packaging machine with the blistering machine.
Another reported drawback derives from the fact that during the transferring, it is not possible to maintain positive control of the position of the single transferred blister packs, e.g. to reject possible defective blister packs. It is therefore necessary provide solutions to these problems, which are otherwise complicated and expensive.
It is an object of the present invention to propose a device, which allows series of blister packs to be automatically transferred from a cutting station to a feeding line of a packaging machine situated perpendicular to the outlet line for the blister packs coming from the cutting station, while maintaining the arrangement in a line and the positive control of the blister packs being transferred.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a device, which has a constructively very simple and functional structure and which is versatile in relation to the type of blister packs to be transferred.
The above mentioned objects are obtained, in accordance with the content of the claims, by a device for transferring blister packs and the like from a cutting station to the feeding line of a packaging machine, the device including: conveyor means disposed adjacent to the cutting station for cutting blister packs;
pick-up means for picking-up a series of blister packs disposed in reciprocal alignment at said cutting station, and placing said series of blister packs in alignment with said conveyor means;
blister packs selective releasing means situated above said conveyor means and equipped with support elements designed for receiving said blister packs picked-up by said pick-up means and operated selectively to release said blister packs, disposed in reciprocal alignment and orderly spaced apart, onto said conveyor means;
a mechanism disposed at the outlet of said conveyor means and equipped with gripping means capable of picking-up said blister packs from said conveyor means and transferring said blister packs one by one to the feeding line of a packaging machine, which is disposed at a selected angle with respect to said conveyor means.